Entry of people, or parking of vehicles, at large venues or other zones, such as sports arenas, can present a variety of challenges. The traffic flow of thousands of vehicles into large zones or parking lots, or of thousands of people into a stadium itself, is difficult to manage, and is made even more so by the verification of parking passes or tickets prior to permitting parking of a vehicle in the parking lot or entry of people into the stadium.
Technology has therefore been developed to help streamline the process. For example, a user may purchase a parking space in advance, and may receive a barcode or QR code to present to an attendant or portable device operator at an entrance of the parking lot. This barcode or QR code may be displayed on a smartphone carried by the user.
The attendant carries a scanning device with which to scan the barcode or QR code to thereby attempt to validate the user for entry into the parking lot. However, such scanning devices must be held in close proximity to the barcode or QR code, requiring the user to open the window of their vehicle and present the smartphone to the attendant. This may result in delay for a variety of reasons. For example, the user may have difficulty accessing the barcode or QR code on the smartphone; the smartphone may turn off its display before the attendant has completed scanning; and/or the smartphone may be held by a passenger not adjacent a window near the attendant. In addition, the mere act of opening the window of the vehicle may be time consuming, or may be undesirable in the case of inclement weather.
Therefore, further development into technology for streamlining the process of selling parking lot access and verifying users prior to entry into the parking lot is desirable.